1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a hinge connector for a foldable electronic apparatus. More specifically, the invention relates to a hinge connector including a hollow shaft device and a cable passing through the shaft device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Foldable structures are extensively used in consumer electrical appliances, such as mobile phones, PDAs, digital cameras, etc. A typical foldable electronic apparatus includes a main module and a folding module. The main module is composed of a first housing and a first electronic unit disposed in the first housing. The folding module is composed of a second housing and a second electronic unit disposed in the second housing.
In a so-called “foldable” electronic apparatus, the second housing is engaged to the first housing via a hinge connector. Further, the second housing is rotatable with respect to an axis or two axes of the first housing. By utilizing the hinge connector and a flexible conductive element (for instance, a flexible printed circuit board or a coaxial cable), the second electronic unit in the second housing can be electrically connected to the first electronic unit in the first housing.
The trend of minimization is an important design issue for current consumer electrical appliances. The usable space in an electronic apparatus is precious. However, most hinge connectors in prior arts are solid objects. There was not any prior art that discloses the idea of integrating the hinge connector and a flexible conductive element to increase the usable space as the invention does. With the manufacturing techniques in current days, the integrated components according to the invention can be precisely manufactured.
Accordingly, a scope of the invention is to provide a hinge connector for a foldable electronic apparatus. Specifically, the hinge connector includes a hollow shaft device and a cable passing through the shaft device.